HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Built 1777–1778, the oldest structure in Jonesborough served as Andrew Jackson's law office and is now a focal point for the town's presidential ghost lore
105 College Street, Jonesborough, TN 37659
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Exterior viewing free; located in the Jonesborough historic district
Access
Limited Access
Unpaved yard area around the log cabin; some uneven terrain
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1778 · Oldest surviving structure in Jonesborough · Predates Tennessee statehood by 18 years · Built by Revolutionary War Major Christopher Taylor · Used as Andrew Jackson's law office in late 1780s
Christopher Taylor, a veteran of the Revolutionary War who reached the rank of Major, built this log cabin on what was then the frontier of the western territories between 1777 and 1778. The structure predates both the founding of Jonesborough (1779) and Tennessee statehood (1796). A historical marker documented by the Historical Marker Database (HMDB marker 83137) confirms the building's age and its place as the oldest extant structure in Jonesborough.
Andrew Jackson arrived in Jonesborough in the late 1780s as a young attorney—he had been appointed public prosecutor for the Western District of North Carolina, which then included the territory that would become Tennessee. Jackson used the Taylor cabin as a law office during this period, before his career and ambitions pulled him south toward Nashville. The cabin sat adjacent to the Chester Inn on West Main Street, where Jackson also conducted business, and the two buildings together formed a small center of legal activity in the young town.
The structure is maintained within the Jonesborough National Register Historic District. Tennessee Vacation's official press has listed it among the state's notable historic haunted properties, noting its association with the town's founding era.
Sources
The ghost story attached to the Christopher Taylor House centers on Andrew Jackson, who is said to appear near the cabin and walk toward the Chester Inn as though still making his rounds between the buildings. The claim appears in Tennessee tourism coverage and local walking tour accounts; its primary attribution is to local tradition rather than documented investigation.
A ghostly figure reported near the cabin's doorway—emerging from the closed door and dissolving before reaching the yard—also circulates in accounts of Jonesborough's haunted sites. These reports share the non-specific quality of much Presidential ghost lore; the strength of the site is its documented age and its verified connection to a major historical figure, not the paranormal claims themselves. The building's age alone—nearly 250 years—gives it a gravity that requires no embellishment.
Notable Entities
The Christopher Taylor House is an original log cabin built between 1777 and 1778 by Revolutionary War Major Christopher Taylor. It is the oldest surviving structure in Jonesborough and one of the oldest buildings in Tennessee. Andrew Jackson used it as a law office early in his legal career before moving on to Nashville.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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